Word: extorting
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...life, as in sports, the best defense is a good offense, especially backed by capable lawyers. In court papers filed last week, former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, who now plays for the Washington Wizards, accused Karla Knafel of attempting to extort $5 million from him to keep their onetime affair a secret. Jordan acknowledged that he had a liaison with Knafel more than 10 years ago, though it was not specified when the relationship started or whether he was married at the time. He also admits having paid her $250,000 in hush money, but says that when...
...Gangsters may have been useful in bringing some order to the lawless world of Indian cinema?a huge industry run like a street stall, where no contract is signed and a promise is easily broken. But the bhais don't do favors. They extort money, run their own banks like Shylocks, and demand international distribution rights to potential hit films...
Actors can be so finicky about their wardrobe. Take Steven Seagal, who had a problem with the idea of wearing cement shoes. Reports of Seagal's troubles with associates of the Gambino Mafia clan surfaced several weeks ago when his pal and former producer, Julius Nasso, was indicted on extortion charges. Last week more details emerged. According to court papers, Nasso allegedly led efforts beginning in 2000 to extort $150,000 from Seagal for each movie he made. The actor claims he was so unnerved that he paid $700,000 before the FBI stepped in. The only bright spot...
...poor and desolate Muslim provinces of the south, violence is a hallowed tradition. The thick forests and craggy hills of this region provide an ideal haven and hideout for outlaw gangs that run contraband, sell drugs and weapons, or extort protection money. But it's not just the impenetrable terrain that shields the bandits, says Perayot Rahimula, a political scientist at Prince of Songkhla University. Both Perayot and Vairoj say what most locals are afraid to: the outlaws are controlled and protected by corrupt local politicians, rogue soldiers and the police. As disputes over these illicit businesses flare...
...Reports in the local press say a dying Yeh, lying on the floor of his factory, used his own blood to scribble the Chinese characters for Ching-shui, only partially completing the surname Tu. Police say Tu had recently threatened the pair at gunpoint in a failed attempt to extort $36,000 from them. Tu and his sons, who deny the charge, fled to Taiwan hours after the murder. There, after learning they were wanted by police on the mainland, they turned themselves over to local authorities. An extradition battle is now brewing: China wants the Tus back...